San Bernardino County Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its ninth opportunity in four years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal on Saturday, September 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to any one of the below listed collection sites. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 390 tons (over 780,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,100 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 4.1 million pounds—more than 2,100 tons—of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards. “The success of this program is evident with the 4.1 million pounds – more than 2,100 tons of pills that have been turned in over the previous eight events. It is critical that residents understand that their usual methods of disposing of unused medicines pose potential safety and health hazards,” said Sheriff John McMahon.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department will have twelve stations participating with the collection of these unused prescription medications. They will be open on Saturday, September 27 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and no appointment is necessary.

We encourage every citizen to look in their homes for any old, unused prescription medication and bring them to one of the listed collection sites for disposal. If you have any questions, contact the Sheriff’s Public Affairs Division at 909. 387.3700 or any public inquiries can be made to 1-800-882-9539.

In addition to the collection sites listed above, additional locations throughout Southern California can be found by visiting www.dea.gov and clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon.